Why Cybersecurity Threats in the Fire Department Affect Us All

Cybersecurity gets thrown around a lot as a term. One hears it in boardrooms, stakeholder meetings, and troubleshooting departments. It may not make its way to supermarket conversations until major attacks like the Yahoo leak of 2013 come to the fore.

Multinational companies aside, emergency services like fire departments aren’t usually considered at cyber risk. But the truth is that they are at risk.

Firefighting departments have sensitive data. It can be misused by anyone with malicious intentions. It makes them prone to hacking, phishing, and malware attacks. Accepting these risks and taking proactive action is the only way to prevent them.

The Danger of PII in the Wrong Hands

PII or personally identifiable information could be your name, medical records, or social security number. PII could also include financial information like bank account numbers. What if you have supplied biometric data, like fingerprints? It is also PII and can be dangerous in unauthorized hands.

Fire departments collect such data when they attend to an emergency. The database covers incident reports with details of your property and medical records of injured people. An attacker who gets access to such data can sell it to third parties. They can exploit it for targeted advertising or furthering a political agenda.

In February 2024, the US passed an executive order emphasizing the need to protect sensitive data. It stated how attackers can use personal data to blackmail government personnel. The order prohibits data brokers from sharing health and genomics data with certain countries. Even so, much more work is necessary to safeguard personal data. The order has a limited scope at present.

Data Breaches for Sensitive Government Policies

Besides PII, the fire department also stores information on government policies on firefighting. For example, the US administrative body on occupational safety and health lays down guidelines for fire equipment. It specifies that the equipment must be maintained and inspected regularly. A data breach through hacking or malware can make these inspection reports public.

Leaking of sensitive data opens the way for potential corruption and malpractice. When the fire department grapples with it, the victims could be the community members.  They lose their trust in firefighters to provide an effective response.

Another concern stems from government data on firefighting materials, like extinguishers and foam. The US wants to phase out AFFF, or Aqueous Film Forming Foam, which used to be administered frequently for liquid and chemical fires.

However, the AFFF lawsuit update notes this foam’s linkage to cancer and liver problems. Instead, the US government is researching the feasibility of fluorine-free foams.

The local fire department may interact with the general public on AFFF cases. TorHoerman Law notes that related information can be witness statements or training records. Violation of this data can cause reputational damage to the fire department. It will also impact the public’s trust in government emergency services. People may feel hesitant to share necessary information.

Compromised Fire Response Systems and Equipment

A tangible and unnerving threat of cyber attacks on the fire department is compromised systems. A hacker could gain control over rescue tools and fire trucks. Computers operate several response systems. A cyberattack will delay the response time, leading to more damage at the emergency site and probable loss of lives.

Gaining unauthorized control becomes simple when the department lacks adequate network security. For example, the systems should have several layers of protection. Firewalls and intrusion detection alerts are good examples. In their absence, ransomware attacks pose a real risk. The attacker may demand payment to return control of firefighting equipment.

How Can Fire Departments Build a Robust Cybersecurity System?

The process can be long-drawn. However, focusing on data protection and data minimization is a good start. Identifying the risks will help you chart suitable contingency responses.

The fire department must also conduct employee training on cyber security. It should provide guidelines on the optimal way to interact with third parties. Simple steps like adding multi-factor authentication and antivirus software can have big payoffs.

Using AI (artificial intelligence) is another possibility to defend against cyber threats. It is almost poetic that hackers have also been using AI to write phishing emails.

Recently, Google announced its progress in using AI to identify software vulnerabilities. It is worthwhile including these topics in employee training. It will raise awareness of deepfakes, phishing, and other attacks AI has strengthened.

Finally, data protection will be mandatory. The departments can use encryption to ensure an interceptor cannot decipher the content. Some government offices use RBAC or Role-Based Access Control. It limits the data that is visible or accessible to an employee based on their job role. Backing up is vital to restore data after a system crash or failure.

The need to safeguard sensitive data and government systems has gained recognition worldwide. The world is now smaller and more connected than it was a decade ago. This has brought challenges that have deeper consequences. Fire departments have inherent links with healthcare and insurance. So, data violations and breaches can be dangerous for the community at large.

Being aware of the possibility of cyberattacks is a good beginning. It can pave the way for individuals and organizations to prevent and fight off such threats.